By Katlin Swisher
Whether you’re planning a meeting, conference or corporate retreat, it’s time to bypass the traditional conference space and put a little wild and wonderful in your agenda. Make your next event an event your co-workers will never forget by booking space at one of West Virginia’s unique conference spaces. Regardless of size or requirement, there’s something for every company event in the Mountain State.
Guesthouse Lost River in the Eastern Panhandle offers an intimate setting with on-site amenities, which means you can stay on the property for business, dining or adventure while remaining focused on your agenda. The brand-new Lookout Post at Adventures on the Gorge in Fayetteville combines raw beauty, adrenaline-pumping adventure and first-class meeting space for groups of all sizes. The fairgrounds of the State Fair of West Virginia were built for large volumes of people, making it the perfect place for indoor or outdoor events or conferences for up to 1,300 people. Have you ever held a meeting at a haunted penitentiary? Your conference at the Moundsville Center, on the property of the West Virginia State Penitentiary, will be the one co-workers are talking about for years to come.
When it comes to meetings and conferences, why choose traditional when you can go wild and wonderful? Plan your next corporate event at one of these four unique conference facilities and give your co-workers a work event that feels more like a vacation.
Guesthouse Lost River
Lost River • www.guesthouselostriver.com
The rustic yet refined space of the Guesthouse Lost River is a best-kept secret nestled in the mountains of West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. Corporate guests looking to forego the run-of-the-mill conference space will find amazing views and fresh mountain air at the Guesthouse in Hardy County.
More than a bed and breakfast, the Guesthouse Lost River features a 24-hour gym, spa, billiards room, restaurant and lounge. The event space can host up to 80 guests in a theater-style setup, 40 guests in a board meeting or conference setup and any number of smaller groups for dinners and meetings.
These amenities coupled with 18 lodging rooms make the Guesthouse an ideal destination for an intimate corporate meeting, retreat or wedding.
“We offer a unique retreat experience that makes the most of our out-of-the-way location and limited over-the-air communications to give our guests a feeling of disconnecting from everyday life,” says Gary Halpern-Robinson, co-owner of the Guesthouse Lost River. “This allows groups to have meetings that are not distracted by technology as they are in other locations. We strive to provide a quiet space for urban professionals to meet to get the business of business completed.”
Named a Best Weekend Getaway by the Baltimore City Paper, New York Times and Washingtonian, the property’s 30 private acres are surrounded by the George Washington National Forest, offering breathtaking views of the mountains and sunsets. The guesthouse is conveniently located near Lost River State Park and the Trout Pond Recreation Area, with plenty of mountain biking, hiking, fishing, canoeing and horseback riding for leaf peepers and avid adventurers alike, giving guests plenty of things to do during their stay.
The venue’s Guesthouse Kitchen & Bar was selected by the Appalachian Regional Council as a farm to fork innovative business in 2013. Their menu features farmhouse-style dishes using locally sourced ingredients, and they offer full-service catering for all types of events.
Lookout Post at Adventures on the Gorge
Lansing • www.adventuresonthegorge.com
Located on the rim of the New River Gorge, this brand-new conference center at Adventures on the Gorge puts the state’s largest adventure resort over the top.
Constructed entirely of beams and bows—not a single screw or nail was used in construction—the Lookout Post offers flexible space to meet the needs of events of all sizes. The ballroom can hold up to 200 people with the theater-style setup or 136 people banquet style. When used in conjunction with the adjacent restaurant, Smokey’s on the Gorge, the resort can feed up to 300 guests. Both venues are designed with an open air feel with removable windows, adding to the flexibility of the event space.
Aptly named for the resort’s pathfinding theme, the Lookout Post’s five individual meeting rooms are named after great pathfinders, including Mary Draper Ingles, Stephen Mather and Chief Tecumseh. “When you’re a pathfinder, it’s about picking a destination, leading people there and doing it with skill and foresight,” says Dave Hartvigsen, president and CEO of Adventures on the Gorge. “That’s very important to us—it’s why we designed the building where it is while respecting the people who came before us and the legacy they left behind.”
During their stay, guests can whet their adventurous appetites with zip lining, whitewater rafting, team building events, paintball and swimming in the split-level pool. The Lookout Post is a quick 10-minute drive from the Long Point and Endless Wall trailheads, the latter of which was just named the number one hiking trail in a national park by USA Today.
Looking for an even bigger thrill? Bridge Walk, the gravity-defying walk under the New River Gorge Bridge, is located just a mile from the Lookout Post. Boredom is not an option with so many adventures awaiting.
“Our mission is to lead the world outdoors,” says Hartvigsen. “We are committed to encouraging and helping people get outdoors and enjoy nature and adventures in a way they couldn’t do themselves.”
The Moundsville Center
Moundsville • www.wvpentours.com
Located on the property of the West Virginia State Penitentiary, what is known today as the Moundsville Center sits at a crossroads of history and an event planner’s dream. A venue that has seen riots, fires and the execution of nearly 100 prisoners is now home to weddings, chamber of commerce dinners, fundraisers and princess tea parties.
After the penitentiary closed in 1995, the West Virginia Department of Corrections began offering public tours of the venue. The Moundsville Economic Development Council took over the tours in 2008 to see how the space could be expanded to serve community needs. “We recognized we needed a community center,” says Suzanne Parks, executive director of the Moundsville Economic Development Council. “With federal and state money, we remodeled the facility to add office space and classroom space, and it became the flexible event space it is today.”
The facility’s open floor plan is 1 acre under roof and capable of hosting up to 1,000 people at a time. The space includes a conference room; smaller classrooms capable of seating up to 150 people; a large, 15,000-square-foot bay area capable of being set up in any configuration with tables and chairs and an outdoor pavilion that seats 150 people and includes fully operational restrooms. Companies can enjoy the facility’s free Wi-Fi, and while there is no on-site catering, many visitors enjoy ordering food from one of Moundsville’s nearby restaurants, such as Johnny Shars Big Dipper or Alexander’s on 7th, and having it delivered.
With the open space and exposed metal rafter, the Moundsville Center is a true multipurpose facility. “We can go from a really touching, heartfelt prom night to a chamber of commerce dinner in a matter of a few days,” says Parks. “You are not limited by what you can do because of the nature of the building. We can make it as large or small as you want it. We’ve hosted everything from formal events to kids’ events and everything in between—we can do it all.”
State Fair Event Center
Fairlea • www.statefairofwv.com
The state fairgrounds in Southern West Virginia are most commonly known as the home of the State Fair of West Virginia—10 days of carnival rides, concerts, corn dogs, agricultural exhibits and family fun. What many people don’t realize is that those same fairgrounds can be rented year-round and personalized for events of all kinds.
At 40,000 square feet of covered space and over 200 acres of developed and undeveloped land, the fairgrounds offer the largest event space in Southern West Virginia. The possibilities are endless with horse, goat and sheep facilities, a grand stand and outdoor spaces like camping sites and picnic areas. The venue regularly plays host to business meetings, educational seminars, corporate conferences, RV rallies, weddings, reunions and more. “We offer tons of flexibility on space usage and the types of events we can hold,” says Garrett McCormick, State Fair of West Virginia special events and concessions manager.
“In addition to the annual state fair in August, which attracts an average of 160,000 people, our events range from small family get-togethers to multi-day RV rallies attracting 300-1,300 people per event throughout the year,” says McCormick. “Southern West Virginia is such a nice and inviting location to spend a day, a weekend or even a week. We have tons of things to see and do in the Greenbrier Valley, and we are less than a day’s drive from 66 percent of the country’s population, which makes us ideal for holding an event.”
